World War II Roll of Honor, Wooden Sign formerly in Acton Center

During World War II, Acton citizens contributed to the creation of a roll of honor in front of Acton Town Hall, listing the names of Acton men and women in the service. Its first incarnation was dedicated on November 8, 1942 and had 134 names. Churches, the American Legion, State Guard Reserves, other Acton organizations, and the "Scrapper's Club" helped to defray the cost. A second round of fundraising, including sending volunteers door-to-door, took place in 1943. The Honor Roll Committee in that year consisted of Selectman Frank Braman, Don W. Benere, and James H. Connolly. At the second dedication on November 28, 1943, the Honor Roll had 222 names.

The structure was wooden, and the attached name plates were protected by glass panels. Other names were added later; a February 1945 article in the Beacon (the local newspaper) noted that there were 293 names on it at that point, six with gold stars. By October, 1945, the name plates already were showing wear; Herbert Leuscher, Herbert Morris and Don Benere, members of the Edwards-Quimby Post of the American Legion, replaced them all.

Weather and time led to deterioration of the wooden structure, and a storm finally took it down. For a while in the early 1960s, the memorial stood without its names; eventually it was removed.

The Historical Society has a program from the 1943 Dedication Ceremony, from which the names of the honored Acton servicemen and women have been transcribed. Note that this list is known to be incomplete, as the dedication happened in 1943: